Heavy Floods.

Patea Mail, 2 April 1881, Page 3

Heavy Floods.

Heavy floods on the West Coast last week caused damage to public and private property to the extent of .£IO,OOO. The Government dam near Stafford burst and created much havoc, the rush of water carrying away the house and property of a German settler, who barely succeeded in saving his wife and property. A narrow escape from a serious calamity was made at Brunnerton, where a slip of 1,000 tons or over came down the hill upon cottages owned by the families of Messrs Ellicott and Morris. They were only saved through some tree stumps diverting the course of the body of earth, stones, and mullock. As it was, the corners of each house were struck—each building was thrown from its pile bearings, the doors were burst open by the force of the pressure made by the descending bodj', and in one case the chimney was carried away. Further and more serious damage would have been done to the coke ovens belonging to the Brunner Mine, behind which the mass rested, but for the fact of a number of stumps arresting its progress, and allowing the slip to gradually settle. Up to eight o’clock on the evening of the 12th instant the rainfall for the day at Kumara registered 4 - 05 inches, and at noon on the following day it had reached 7 - G0 inches.